I stand off to the side as everyone seems to be returning to their full consciousness having absolutely no idea about the guy in the suit. I watch Eric and Lykron going from person to person, most
likely asking the same questions about the creepy business guy, but they all turn up the same, nothing. I feel someone grip my arm from behind me. I jump at the touch and spin around quickly… “Oh,
I am sorry dear, I didn’t mean to startle you, it’s just I was wondering if you new when the hospital will be open again? Oh I do hope it’s going to be open soon, I need to get my medicine…”

I look the old lady up and down, from her silver hair, wrinkled face and bowed back to her matching clothes and walker… “I… I… I…” She pats my arm.

“That’s alright dear, I’ll go ask someone else,” she begins to trundle her way around the fallen debris before stopping and turning slowly, “You should come to the hospital to, you must be in a bit
of a shock, you poor dear,” she continues her journey and I watch her go, watch the baffled look on the police officers face as he rubs the back of his neck in a seeming comical gesture. ‘Oldies,’
I think to myself, stifling a bubble of nervous laughter that threatens to surface.

I draw my yo-yo from my pocket and begin to throw it, finding solace in the familiar rhythm. I glance up from the spinning yo-yo to see Dad, tearing his hair out over the car which has been crushed
by the hospital. I hear his voice echo towards me… “What am I going to do? How do I get home…” a police officer is trying to calm him but walks away instead shaking his head at the lost cause.
Almost every one is up and about now, only a few firemen are still down. I start walking away from the hectic mess, continuing to watch my yo-yo bounce up and down, hitting my hand on the up and
pausing at the bottom to spin on the down. I catch it on the next up and put it back in my pocket, securing it with the zip and continuing to walk away. I hear footsteps running towards me and turn
as Lykron comes into view, “Where are you off to?” he asks in a monotone.

“Hopefully home, I don’t want to hang around when that creepy guy could just pop up at any moment…”

Lykron shrugs and makes his way back towards the chaos. I watch him go for a couple of seconds before continuing on my way, ‘Such a weird name,’ I think, ‘Never heard of it
before…’Again I hear footsteps approaching from behind and imagine Eric or Dad coming after me. I stop and turn slowly. In the distance the firemen in orange and police men are
rounding up everyone as a dark cloud rumbles in, blotting out the sun. I look up as the first heavy spots of rain fall, stinging my face, then back towards the hospital. A shadow scores my vision
before it materializes into a solid form, the creepy business man, the same scowl and creepy grin on his face.

I stand, paralyzed to the spot, “Hello…” he drawls, taking a step towards me. He swings something at me, a bat, which narrowly misses my nose. His grin widens as the bat comes back around in an
arch. I try to dodge it but it hits me on the side of the head. I stumble, stars blooming in front of me. My hand automatically reaches for my pocket, for the yo-yo.

The zip breaks.

Gasping as the darkness begins to crowd in I make my last attempt for escape… I scream, well try to, I can’t hear myself. I can feel the cords in my neck tighten, my throat going raw, but no sound
comes out.

Finally darkness consumes me like a cold dark blanket…

***

A familiar chuckle cuts through my dizziness as slowly, I open my eyes. The wavering image of the creepy business man comes into view, his features set in the same scowl, and an evil grin playing
on his lips, darkening his eyes. He’s in a new suit, black with a slight pinstripe and double breasted. His tie, a corresponding plain black is whole and tied securely at his neck. S ticking sound
fills the space as electrical lights flicker to life, blinding me. I’m tied to a computer chair, the thick ropes biting through my clothes. I pull at my bound arms and legs, trying to loosen them.
The guys’ chuckle fills the space again, bouncing off gray metal walls. Desks covered in knobs, buttons, screens and gages line the walls, the same depressing colour. I feel like I know this place,
like I’ve been here before. I can see out a window to my left, through the rain that pelts against it like a million bullets. Great spears reach towards the sky, coils of metal wire running their
length. There are at least a dozen of them sitting on top of small metal blocks… I remember now, it was at a field trip with my science class; we were studying electricity… We’re in the control
room of the electrical plant.

A yelp escapes from my throat as the business guy flicks a switch and a humming sound fills the air, followed by a siren, turning the room a blood red. He flicks another switch and the siren is
silences, though the crimson colour still fills the control room. I whip my head around to face him, trying to yell at him to stop; charging the spikes outside is dangerous in a storm. He just
faces me, amusement dancing in his eyes. I try to speak again but tape glues my lips together. The vile taste of it fills my mouth.

“Zander’s the name,” he grins further and flicks his fingers towards the window. Almost immediately sun begins to shine through the dark clouds, breaking it up. The rain stops and lightning
flickers once with a resounding boom before disappearing altogether, “My friend will be here soon, don’t you worry… In the mean time, I want to talk to you about what you did to my face…” I try to
talk again but of course it fails. ‘Zander’ makes his way leisurely towards me, grips on side of the tape and tears it from my face. I suppress a yelp before turning back to him.

“At least it was an improvement.” His scowl deepens.

Outside the towers are sputtering with electricity, almost fully charged.

“Why are you playing with those?” I ask in a none to friendly tone, flicking my head towards the window, “Didn’t you’re mum teach you anything. And what’d you do to the others?” The question pops
into my head…

“Oh nothing much happened to you’re little friends, but as for the comment on my mother…” I see him swallow deeply, his adams apple moving up and down, “You’re gonna wish you never said a
thing…
A bang outside the door stops him in his tracks, followed by a clang of metal on metal. Slowly, Zander moves closer to the door, grips the handle… Before he can open it, it bursts open,
flinging him across the room followed by a shower of cards which pin him to the wall. A ring of swords reaches my ears and soon the ropes that had bound me loosen and drop to the floor like coils
of deadly snakes.

Immediately I leap from my chair and whip around to see Eric and Lykron standing calmly in the doorway, “How’d you guys find me?”

A grin leaps on both of their faces, “Now that would spoil the fun…”

Zanders’ voice cuts across Lykrons’, “And the fun’s just about to start.” As if on cue a dark shadow melts into view behind Eric and Lykron. The man stands tall, black shades planted firmly on his
face.

“Time to go, “Eric states. We all look around for a way out, “WINDOW!”

Zander, now off the wall advance, his friend following closely. I begin to run towards the window, yanking all my yo-yos’ out and flinging then before me. As I leap from the ground a taste of doubt
creeps in, what if it doesn’t work? How far is the drop? I hear a satisfying shatter of glass and land on the hard compact dirt, none to gracefully, Eric and Lykron in tow. Outside, the humming of
the now fully charged towers intensifies, shaking my bones with electricity. I glace at Lykron, sword still out, “Put it away, its metal!” Immediately it returns to the juggling ball it once was.

“Going so soon? The party has just begun, I was hoping to give you a surprise, but a shock I think will be more appropriate…” Zander flicks his hand towards the sky and a dark cloud emerges,
rumbling with thunder, lightning flashing. I smell the rain before it comes as the storm cloud makes its way over us. Zander and his friend leap from the window in a shimmer of black silk shadows.
The rain is about to fall, thickening the atmosphere, “Now, you can come nice and quietly… or rain will fall.”

I think he’s crazy and a glance at my friends just proves it. The first fat drop lands on my shoulder. ‘He’s mental!’ I think of the odds, we have my three yo-yos’ and Eric’s cards, Lykron
can’t use his swords, it’d be too dangerous. But Zander has his big friend...

‘Ah well, it’s either go peacefully or with a fight, and well, I want to go home…’ I take a defiant step forward, flinging out my yo-yos in a some what menacing way. Eric follows my lead
shuffling his pack from hand to hand, Lykron soon follows, a little hesitant, but balls his fists and positions himself in a fighting stance.

“A fight it is then,” Zander chuckles all too cheerfully. Rain begins to bucket down, sizzling on the towers of electricity. The first fork of electricity hits the ground, showering us in clumps of
dirt; more follows, shaking the ground. Zander and his friend, in-between bursts of lightning, advance, coming closer and closer. I widen my stance and fling my first yo-yo. It misses Zander by a
centimetre but comes back to hit his friend on the side of the head, a most satisfying thumb emanating from the connection. All at once we rush towards Zander and his friend, showers of cards cut
at them, fists fly and yo-yo’s score bare skin and cut clothing.

We continue our attack, trying to gain ground, taking advantage of the surprise head start when Zander screams out, “ENOUGH!!!” A loud boom of thunder echoes across the battle ground, electricity
continuing to rain down around us. We pause, dumbfounded, before the electricity begins to dance around us too close for comfort, singing hair and scoring skin. I glance at Zander, his hands raised
as if controlling the electricity. Soon he and his friend melt away in a cloud of shadows, leaving us.

“Come on!” I call out over the howling wind, gesturing towards the fence. We dodge, duck and dive our way to the fence, trying to avoid the showers of mud and electricity. We all reach it,
collapsing at its base, “We. Can’t. Stay. Here,” I say through pants, “Too… Dangerous.”

As soon as they had gone, they reappear in front of us. Zander is clapping slowly, “Well done, but I’m afraid you forgot one thing… Us.”

I glance at Lykron and Eric before flinging two of my yo-yos at both of them. I let the strings go, allowing it to wrap around their torsos. Showers of cards rain down on them forcing them back
toward the singed dirt and plummeting electricity. I look at Lykron, he has his juggling balls in his hand, twirling them, thinking. A flash and ring of metal warns me he’s let them go. He stands,
holding the swords high in the air. Before I can say anything, do anything, a spike of electricity runs to the metal, forming in a ball on the tip. Lykron throws his swords. They land like spears
in the mud on both sides of our enemies and one in-between them. Immediately the electricity bounces across the swords, sending the two reeling back. Zander tries to control it, spreading his hands
out, but the charge is relentless.

I begin to climb the fence, the wire digging into my hands. Barbwire lines the top but we avoid it easily and land on the ground in unison. We all turn just in time to see Zander and his friend
melt away into the shadows.

“When do you think he’ll be back?”

“Don’t mind that now, Silena, what about our weapons, how are we going to protect our selves if they do come back?” I gaze back at the scene, rain clearing… Something catches my eye, a glint in the
sun. I move closer to get a better look.

“No need to worry about that Lykron, here they are, “I say as they make there way to me, “Now we need to worry about plan B.”

Add Your Comments:

Comments

Nice! :D You really paid close attention to how Zander dressed, and for finding Selina because she just cut his face sounds exactly like what he would do! :D Also, I like how there were lots of fighting. The action was very good. Although I think there's just something about you keep on referring to Nightshroud as 'his friend' which seems a bit repetitive. Otherwise, this is quite good. I like the eletric plant idea. :D Liked!
P.S. The Normal Magic has been updated, qutie a few chapters, and since you've got your entry in, I'm allowing you to read on and find what happens next. :D
P.P.S. Also loved the old lady scene at the beginning! :P

AuthorReply

Comment | 27 words

Wed, December 21st, 2011 4:57pm

Ha, ha! Thanks heaps. I'll get on to reading right away. Hope you have a good Christmas and a happy new year!!!!
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